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Sunday 13th April 08
Brighton Bulls U8’s &
Brighton U7s
East Grinstead
East Sussex Festival Winners
Brighton Bulls Squad:
| Andrew Read Frank Chambers Jon Searle |
Nicolas Buxton Oliver Wykes Tom Heath |
Samir Bahemou Scott Johnson Corney Shammy Mohammed |
Toby Smith |
Brighton Bulls:
The second attempt to run the East Sussex festival previously abandoned due to waterlogged conditions was soon to become a problem once again. The weather held for an hour or so but then set in heavily for the day. The first game was a slow starter against a willing Eastbourne team as the boys took time to find their feet, (literally in some cases) but eventual defensive pressure & 4 turnovers meant a comfortable 5 – 3 win. Next up were Uckfield who were a very much improved team from last year but the players had their attacking heads on & good running lines & vision meant they cantered to a 7 – 1 win. East Grinstead seemed put off by the dampening conditions and in spite of some good home support succumbed to a 6 – 0 loss as the Brighton defence got into gear. Heathfield were next up and the boys wanted to raise their game and so got to work early on some good defensive pressure turning the ball over 3 times in the 1st half & scoring from each possession. As the game wore on they hit their attacking stride & after scoring freely they also allowed the opposition only 1 further try to run out reasonably comfortable 7 – 2 winners. The last game against Lewes was quickly called off by the opposition as a torrential downpour looked liked washing the pitches away which was a shame as it seemed the boys were just about to hit top gear, however we had already secured the pole position & passage through to the Sussex Final.
Many thanks to the parents for their willing & appreciated efforts in keeping the players dry-ish & motivated through the tournament and very well done to all the players in getting to the final to defend last years crown.
Results;
Eastbourne 3 Brighton 5
Uckfield 1 Brighton 7
East Grin 0 Brighton 6
Heathfield 2 Brighton 7
GH/MS
Match Reports Brighton RFC Under 8s
Sunday 20th April 08
At Havant Rugby Club
Brighton Bulls Squad:
| Andrew Read Frank Chambers Jon Searle |
Louie Trott Nicolas Buxton Samir Bahemou |
Scott Johnson Corney Shammy Mohammed Toby Smith |
Tom Heath |
Brighton Bulls:
The last festival trip of the season down to our south coast neighbours at Havant, was to be a good run out before the County final. In great conditions the boys set about their challenge of “total support rugby” with a good opening against Wimborne. After a couple of early exchanges they settled into a good defensive pattern & with 3 turnovers were never really troubled in running out 7 – 3 winners. The next match against Portsmouth was a chance to practice some moves as the boys rattled up 11 tries to 4 with hat-tricks for Samir & Andrew. Trojans were our next opponents and the boys started to show their defensive prowess as they shut the door on most of their attacks forcing mistakes and turnovers in a conclusive 7 – 0 win.
The semi-final against the host’s Havant who had shown some promise in their pool games was the opportunity for the players to step up a gear and expose the spaces in their defence with some good committed lines of running & confident handling. Scoring with possession until they forced 2 handling errors through pressure, meant they opened up a 2 try gap that was never threatened and resulted in a 9 – 4 win, with Nic grabbing 4 tries.
The final against a Fordingbridge team unbeaten in 18 months was just the challenge to rally the players for 1 more team assault. The moves were well executed and great team support allowed the boys to completely overpower the opposition everytime they made a mistake. Despite their own spirited running our defence stood firm and then were completely ruthless with the ball in hand as 9 of the players touched down with Frank scoring a hat trick.
A very good squad performance, at a very well run event was appreciated by all the families & supporters alike and the players were happy to pick up their 7th trophy of the year.
Results;
Wimborne 3 Brighton 7
Portsmouth 4 Brighton 11
Trojans 0 Brighton 7
Havant 4 Brighton 9
Fordingbridge 6 Brighton 14
GH/MS
Match Reports Brighton RFC Under 8s
Sunday 14th October 07
At Bromley Rugby Club
No Photo
Brighton Squad:
| Andrew Read Frank Chambers Jon Searle Louie Trott Jake Blow |
Nicolas Buxton Oliver Wykes Samir Bahemou Laura Bird Ben Turner |
Scott Johnson Corney Shammy Mohammed Toby Smith Jamie Morley |
Tom Heath Jacob Hawes Luke Holt Kit Scott |
Brighton Bulls (Reds & Blues):
A week after the teams opening festival success at Guildfordians the Bulls entered 2 teams at the Bromley mini rugby festival and again came away with the spoils.
Two evenly matched teams were placed in opposite sides of the festival draw but both finished top of their respective groups without losing a match.
Free-running victories for the Blues v Crowborough 30-5, Cranbrook 20-5, Old Colfians 40-15, Westcombe Park 20-0 & Bishops Stortford 40-30 earnt a semi final draw against Hertford which they won 25-15.
Hard working wins for the Reds v Bromley 40-15, Beccehamians 35-10, Bishops Stortford 25-15, Old Alleynians 40-15 & a draw with Hertford 30-30 earnt a semi final draw against Cranbrook which they won 25-15.
In agreement with the hosts the final was declared a draw as both teams shared the trophy & medals.
15 different players scored tries with Nic Buxton leading the way with 14 whilst Toby Smith headed the tag/tackle count with 106.
Match Reports Brighton RFC Under 8s
Saturday 15th September 07
At Harlequins Rugby Club & Twickenham
Brighton Bulls Squad:
| Andrew Read Frank Chambers Jon Searle |
Nicolas Buxton Oliver Wykes Samir Bahemou |
Scott Johnson Corney Shammy Mohammed Toby Smith |
Tom Heath |
Brighton Bulls:
The first early morning trip of the season to Harlequins for the London Double Header Festival before the Harlequins v London Irish & Wasps v Saracens premiership matches meant we were up against some of the best teams from around the London area.
Free-running victories against Elthamians, Reading, Fullers & finally Beaconsfield meant we scored 18 tries with only 4 conceded and were rewarded with a coveted invitation to play on the Twickenham pitch.
At half time of the Harlequins v London Irish premiership clash, the players were led onto the hallowed turf in front of 35,000 supporters to play London Irish. A fast moving game was essentially settled with 2 well taken tries by Toby & Tom before the Irish hit back with 1 of their own, but it was not enough against a hard working defensive line.
A quick chance to take the team photograph on the pitch capped a truly memorable day for player’s & parents alike.
Results;
Elthamians 2 Brighton 5
Reading 0 Brighton 5
Fullers 1 Brighton 4
Beaconsfield 1 Brighton 4
London Irish 1 Brighton 2
GH/MS
Match Reports Brighton RFC Under 8s
Sunday 6th May 2007
Worthing Festival
Andrew Read, Ben Kennard, Frank Chambers, Nicolas Buxton, Samir Bahemou, Scott Johnson Corney, Shammy Mohammed, Toby Smith, Tom Heath
Brighton Bulls
The final festival of the season saw us pitted against two Ratt cup finalists and a good Blackheath team in our pool. A couple of early defensive turnovers was enough to keep a two try gap over a solid Upminster side and good hands ensured we moved the ball well enough to score with possession. The game with Worthing Bs allowed us to get our defensive alignment working and patient tagging meant we kept them at bay for good periods whilst good strike running allowed us to score when running straight & secured a 5 - 1 win. Our biggest challenge unsurprisingly came from Blackheath & with both sides defending well, two incisive breaks followed by two quick turnovers meant we were always going to hold onto our lead & we finished 4 - 1 ahead. By the time we played Sevenoaks the team were really into their stride & with great support running allowing us to retain the ball to score at will. A couple of steals further adding to the 8 - 1 score with Frank Chambers notching up 5 tries in the process.
The final against an improving Hove team was always going to be a good test for the boys as they went to work defending one side then the other. A couple of well supported tries in the first half and a well worked move in the second together with an outstanding defensive display meant we achieved a 3 - 0 win in the last match of the season.
Results
Bulls - Upminster 7 - 4
Bulls - Worthing Tigers 5 - 1
Bulls - Blackheath 4 - 1
Bulls - Sevenoaks Wasps 8 - 1
Finals
Bulls - Hove 3 - 0
Match Reports Brighton RFC Under 8s
QUINS RATT CUP FINAL
Saturday 28 April 2007
Twickenham
Andrew Read, Alex Young, Frank Chambers, Henry Bellm, Nicolas Buxton, Oliver Wykes, Samir Bahemou, Scott Johnson-Corney, Toby Smith, Tom Heath
Brighton Bulls
The last early morning trip to Harlequins for the Ratt Cup Finals before the Quins v Sale premiership clash meant we were up against some of the best teams around.
An opening 5 - 4 victory against Sevenoaks despite a slow defensive start was the result of some effective strike running but too many basic errors with the ball. Our second match against Upminster was sealed with a fine attacking 2nd half performance and a little more defensive effort as we ran out 6 - 4 winners.
Our passage through to the final stage depended on our final match against a good Teddington team and was played out at good pace with our defence keeping them at bay for good periods but both sides handling skills creating opportunities. Some uncharacteristic errors meant we couldn't establish a 2 score lead & they levelled the score at 4 - 4 with 30 secs left. However a draw was enough to see us into the Trophy play off against Sussex rivals Pulborough.
Our quick attacking/scoring performance in 1st half was enough to put daylight between the sides and finally the defence started to work as a unit as we reduced them to only 4 scoring opportunities and celebrated a 7 - 4 win in style.
The team then lead the half time "Lap of Honour" for all the competition winners to end a good day for players and parents alike.
Results
Sevenoaks 4 - 5 Btn
Upminster 4 - 6 Btn
Teddington 4 - 4 Btn
Pulborough 4 - 7 Btn
Match Reports Brighton RFC Under 8s
Sussex Final
Sunday
22 April 20 07
Hove Rugby club
Brighton Bulls Squad
Andrew Read, Frank Chambers, Henry Bellm, Nicolas Buxton, Oliver Wykes, Samir Bahemou, Scott Johnson-Corney
Shammy Mohammed, Toby Smith, Tom Heath
Brighton Bulls
In hot conditions & on a fast pitch the lack of match practice didn't deter either side from full on attacking from the start. 2 early scores and an early turnover was ultimately enough to ensure we were never going to fall behind despite some errors from both sides adding to the tension. Good defensive tagging lines kept Horsham at bay for periods making them work to score whilst we relied on quick strikes & good all round team support play to keep our noses in front. 1 score arriving after 6 of the team were involved in the build up. Horsham's persistence and ball retention meant they were never out of the picture but a better defensive display paid dividends.
Sussex Final
10 minutes each way
Score Bulls 9 v 8 to Horsham
Match Reports Brighton RFC Under 8s
Uckfield Festival
Sunday 22th April 07
At Uckfield Rugby Club
No Photo
Brighton Wolves
A 3rd team competing at an A festival had never been achieved before at this age group, which is both a testament to the number of capable players we have in the 7s and how well the 6 year olds have progressed and fitted in alongside their older counterparts. In spite of a scoreless match against the eventual festival winners Heathfield the teams efforts, in the drawn match with Cranbrook & the harshly judged, last minute loss to Sevenoaks, was absolutely fantastic and everyone's enthusiasm to keep trying was a credit to them all. The understanding of the team defensive line & the quick tagging of the opposition will get better with more game practice but the core skills were as good in places as those of other more experienced players. Leading try scorer's were James Bourton & Oliver Higgins.
CY/JB
Brighton Bears
On a hot & dusty day at Uckfield the Bears produced some of their best rugby of the whole year. Up against A team opposition they produced some determined performances and after 2 draws with East Grinstead & the hosts Uckfield they qualified for the semi-finals as they beat Crawley 7 tries to 5 after a good defensive display. Unluckily they came up against a strong running Heathfield side in the semi-final and although the ball retention was improving their superior defence only allowed us to score on 4 occasions.
The shape of the team & the awareness of each other allowed us to produce some good continuity & ball retention which showed in the 23 tries we scored as 7 different players got on the scoresheet. Leading try scorer was Ben Kennard with 8 tries whilst other Player of the match performances came from Luke Holt, Ben Turner & Alex Young.
SH/JB
Brighton Bulls
In hot conditions and on a fast pitch the lack of match practice didn't deter either side from full on attacking from the start. 2 early scores and an early turnover was ultimately enough to ensure we were never going to fall behind despite some errors from both sides adding to the tension. Good defensive tagging lines kept Horsham at bay for periods making them work to score whilst we relied on quick strikes & good all round team support play to keep our noses in front. 1 score arriving after 6 of the team were involved in the build up. Horsham's persistence and ball retention meant they were never out of the picture but a better defensive display paid dividends.
MS/GH
Match Reports Brighton RFC Under 8s
Saturdayunday 14th April 07
At Teddington Rugby Club
No Photo
Brighton Bulls Squad
Andrew Read, Frank Chambers, Henry Bellm, Nicolas Buxton, Oliver Wykes, Samir Bahemou, Scott Johnson-Corney, Shammy Mohammed, Toby Smith, Tom Heath
Brighton Bulls
The visit to the coast by one of the leading clubs in the south proved to be a great organisational success in fantastic weather conditions. The first game proved to set the tone for the day as the defence got to work quickly against Hove creating 3 turnovers in the first half and ultimately running out 6 - 1 winners. Much improved team performances against Teddington & Lewes in the next 3 games including 2 hat tricks of tries and more consistent tagging enabled the team to progress to the final. Hove provided the opposition and with both defences improving it was the bulls counter attacking that proved the undoing as they scored 4 tries to 1, with both teams still running hard despite the hot condition